Car call cancellation means



Jan. 29, 1957 E. B. THURSTON CAR CALL CANCELLATION MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed Nov. 1. 1955 N TQQ mt Q & mm #5 t l QM W Q\ m \I m fiHu L M Q qkI Q% L m l u C 3w H m w A 0 km W mm MN m h 9w hm. w m H. .rl; H L Em m qQ \N N mm mmtmk m Iuhkm Nb m G IHIKJAK IN V EN TOR.

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Jan. 29, 1957 E. B. THURSTON CAR CALL. CANCELLATION MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed NOV. 1. 1.955

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\M N\\ W. WHIP m& k QM 3 m, Q R vb INVENTOR. ERNEST B. THURSTO/V WMMATTORNEYS United States Patent CAR CALL CANCELLATION MEANS Ernest B.Thurston, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Haughton Elevator Company, Toledo,Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 1, 1955, Serial No.544,161

9 Claims. (Cl. 187-29) This invention relates to control mechanism forautomatic passenger elevators and in particular to means fordiscouraging improper use of the elevators during rush period's.

One common misuse of passenger operated elevators in commercialbuildings is the practice, during periods of heavy down traific when thecars become loaded at upper floors, of waiting passengers at lower andintermediate iloors to register up calls and ride up so as to be aboardon the next down trip. When this practice is discouraged by causing mostof the cars to bypass up calls some passengers resort to pushing carbuttons, as they leave the car at the lobby, so that the car will stopon its upward trip at the floors where friends of the passengers wereleft waiting. While this may give those particular waiting passengersquicker service it interferes with the overall efiiciency of the systembecause not only must the car stop on the up trip but also some car onits down trip will answer those intermediate down calls whether thepassengers are still waiting or not.

The principal object of this invention is to discourage this practice bydelaying during down peak operation the re-energizing of the car buttonholding means for a suflicient time when the elevator reverses at thelower terminal floor to allow the passengers to leave.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for delaying there-energizing of the car button holding means after a reversal at thelower terminal floor during periods of down peak trafiic until the cardoors close at the start of the upward trip.

A still further object of the invention is to provide circuit means fordelaying the re-energization of the car button holding means for apredetermined time after reversal at the lower terminal in the event thecar during its downward travel was conditioned to by-pass hall calls.

More specific objects and advantages are apparent from the followingdescription of several embodiments of the invention.

According to the invention the normally closed circuit that energizeselectromagnetic means for holding actuated car button signal means intheir actuated position is deenergized for an extended period of timeafter the car reverses at the lower terminal. The de-energization isaccomplished by including in the circuit either timer contacts that areopen for the predetermined time interval after reversal or contacts of agate relay that are open as long as the gate of the car is open at theterminal floor. In the latter case other contacts operated by a trafficprogram responsive device and terminal floor car selection relays areincluded in parallel with the gate controlled contacts to limit thebreaking of the circuit to the time that the car is standing at thelower terminal. In one embodiment of the invention the timer isenergized whenever the car approaches the terminal floor with its bypassswitch operated, while in another embodiment the timer is started eachtime the elevator arrives at the bottom terminal While the down peaktraffic program is in efiect.

2,779,438 Patented Jan. 29, 1957 Preferred embodiments of the inventionare illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure I is a schematic diagram illustrating circuits arranged toprevent the registration of up car calls for a time that the elevatorcar is standing at the lower terminal floor.

Figure ii is a schematic diagram of a variation of the circuit shown inFigure I and arranged to hold the car button signal means de-energizedfor a predetermined interval of time after the car arrives at theterminal fioor.

Figure III is another modification of the circuit of Figure I that isarranged to hold the car button signal means de-energized for a limitedtime on the first arrival of the car at a terminal floor after itsby-pass switch had been operated.

These specific figures and the accompanying description are intendedmerely to illustrate the invention and not impose limitations on theclaim.

It is common practice in signal controlled elevators to provide each ofthe elevator cars with a push button panel containing one push buttonfor each floor to be served by the car. Car calls, commonly calleddestination calls, are registered by passengers Within the car bypushing the buttons corresponding to the desired floor. The car buttonsare arranged to set up circuits in cooperation with a floor selectormachine to stop the car at the floors corresponding to the operated carbuttons. In order that the calls may be held registered the car buttonsare each provided with a holding coil at the car button or a relayholding circuit that is continuously energized during each trip of theelevator and momentarily de-energized upon reversal of the car. Theseholding coils are only sufficiently strong to hold a depressed button indepressed condition. The improper registration of up car calls duringdown peak operation may be prevented by providing further relay means orrelay contacts arranged to break the circuit to the car button holdingcoils or car button relays while the car is standing at the lowerterminal during its unloading time and either for a definite timethereafter or until the car starts its next upward trip.

In the drawings only a few of the large number of relays that are usedin the operating circuit of an elevator are shown. These relays are:

BPD-By-pass delay relay G-Gate controlled relay RBCar button releaserelay RL-Directional control latch relay T-Timer for delayedre-energization of car button magnets.

A number of relay contacts are also shown in the drawings; thesecontacts being operated by relay coils that are not shown. Thesecontacts include:

To further facilitate the identification of the parts in the drawingseach line of the diagrams is numbered and at the right of each lineshowing a relay coil is a list ofthe lines in which contacts operated bythat coil appear.-

An, underscored listing indicates that the contacts are closed when thecoil is de-energi'zed'. Thus referring to Figure I the gate controlledrelay G appears in line 1 and in the codeat the right thelocations ofits contacts are indicated as being lines Bi and 11. The gate relay- Gis energized as long as all of the safety switches are in operatingorderand the gate switchisclosed thus indicating the. doors of the car areclosed; Under these conditions the relay G- is energized so as to openits contacts in line 3 and close its contacts in line 11. The car buttonmagnets 20 are illustrated as being connected in two series in lines 11and13 each connected to a return, lead L2. Thetwo series of magnets areconnected together through alead-2 1 located in line 12', throughnormally closed contacts RB of a car button release relay RB line 7 andthen through any one of three sets of contacts G, CUL, or H3 and thenthrough a resistr'22 connected to a power line L1. These magnets arethus energized as longas the release relay RB isde-energized and atleast one of the sets of contacts G, CUL, or H3 in lines 11, 12 or. 13are closed.

These contacts are contacts G of the gate relay in line 11' that areclosed as long as the gate is closed and the car is in condition foroperation, contacts CUL which are open when the car is loading at themain terminal and awaiting. dispatch and which are closed as long as thecar is away from the terminal, and contacts H3 of the down peakprogramrelay which are open as long as the elevator is conditioned for downpeak trafiic and which are closed at all, other times. Thus current canflow through the car button magnets 2% as long as the car is inoperationwith the. gate closed, is away from the first floor or lowerterininal or is not loading, or anytime that it is not conditio'n'ed fordown peak trafiic; Thus if a car in normal operating condition and noton down peak program is standing at the lower floor the car buttonmagnets are energized since the contacts H3 in line 13 are closed.

Referring to Figure. I lines 6 to inclusive a latch type directionalcontrolrelay RL having'its latch coil RLL shown in line 6 and itsrelease coil RLR shown. in 8 is arranged to control, through contactsnot shown, the direction of travel of the elevator. If the elevator isconditioned for manual operation, that. is with an operator, thenthrowover contacts T0 in line 7 are closed sothat n p-or down push buttonswitches 23 or 24 may be used by the operator to select the" directionof travel in addition. to automatic reverse at the terminals. Thus, if acar is standing at a floor so that contacts BK in line 6'are closed, theoperator may select up travel by closing the up push button switch 23 sothat current may flow from the lead L1 through the car button releaser'elayope'r-ating' coil RB in line 7, thence through the latch coil RLLin line 6, and then through the throw'over contacts T0 in line 7 andthrough the brake relay contacts BK of line 6. This throws the relay RLto its latched position and its contacts thereupon set up other circuitsto condition the elevator for upward travel. Downward travel may beselected by operation of the down push button 24 so as to draw currentthrough the release relay coil RB in line 7 and latch release coil RLRin line 8, and thencethrough the"dowrrpush button switch 24, the throwover contacts TO and the brake relay contacts in line6. The direction oftravel may also be altered or changedwithoutwaiting' for the car to cometo a completestop by the operation of the push button switches 23 or 24during the leveling approach time when contacts LA in line 8' areclosed.

The elevator is also automatically set for downward travel when itreaches the upward terminal by a-means of a circuit that includes thecar button release magnet coil RB; the latch releas'e coil RLR' a lead-25 connectedto' a selector machine terminal 26 that, when the carreaches the upper terminal, iscontacted-i by a brushv 27- which isconnected through leveling; speed: relay contacts; LA, gaterelawcontactsa G and: door opening contact OPkin-rlineS. Thuswhe'nthe'elevator-approaches the upperterniinal the brush 27 firstcontacts the contact 26 of the selector ma chine then, as the elevatorslows down, the leveling relay contacts close and the door starts toopen in response to operation of a door opening relay. As the door opensthe gate relay G is de-energized to close its controls G line 3 tocomplete the circuit. This circuit is held closed until the door reachesnearly fully open position when the door opening relay OP releases toopen the circuit in line 3 leaving the latch relay RL in released ortripped condition.

The. direction latch. relay RL is latched into up direction (renditionwhen the car reaches the lower terminal by a circuit completed throughthe release magnet RE, the latch coil RLL, a lead 23 in line 6, aselector machine contact 29 corresponding to the lower terminal floor,and then through the. brush 27 and connected circuit leading to returnlead L2 when the elevator reaches such floor. Again the circuit is notcompleted until the doors start to open when the gate contacts and thedoor opening relay contacts are both closed. The directional latch relayRL may also be set automatically for downward travel' at intermediatefloors when the elevator is operating on high call reverse. Thisautomatic releasing of the latch relay to set it for down travel iscontrolled by circuits shown in lines 9' and 10 of Figure 1. When theelevator system is set for high call reverse and the elevator carreaches'its highest call, contacts I-IC line 9 close. At the same timethe stopping relay SD closes its contacts in the event the call isregistered at the fioor which the elevator is then approaching. Latchrelay contacts RL, shown in line 9, are closed as long as the car is setfor upward travel. These contacts are included to open the circuitthrough the latch release coil as soon as the latch relay has beenreleased and thereby minimize the heating of the latch relay coils.

It is sometimes desirable to cause the car to reverse whether or notthere is a call at the floor at which the car is approaching whenitreceives its high call signal. In this event the H1 contacts shown inline 10 are connected in parallel with. the SD contacts in line 9. Sincethe H1 contacts are closed during up peak program operation it followsthat the car will reverse at the next floor as soon as it receives 'ahigh call signal. Other circuits are included in the control system ofthe elevator so that it' cannot reverse between floors but rathertravels to the next floor and then reverses even though the high callrelay ma operate while the car is between floors.

Each time the elevator car directional control relay'RL is reversedcurrent flows through the car button magnet release relay R3 to open itscontacts in' line 12 thus deen'ergizing the car button magnets andcanceling all car' button calls that may have been registered.

As shown in Figure I the car button magnets cannot be energized when thecar is standing at the lower terminal awaiting dispatch. During thistime, when the system is conditioned for down peak operation, contactsH3 in line 13 are open, gate contacts G in line 11 are open' and the CULcontacts inline 12 are open. Therefore it isimpossible for passengers toregister car calls as long as the car is standing at the lower terminalduring down peak program-operation.

Figure II illustrates asecond embodiment of the inven tionwherein,during down peak operation, the car button magnets are heldde-energi'zed for a particular length of time after thecar arri'vesatthe bottom terminal. Asthe car, du'ring 'thi's down peak operation,arrives at the bottom terminal a circuit is completed while the carbuttonmagnet release relay RB is energized through contacts H3 line I14of the down peak program relay, contacts RL of the latch relay, whichclose as soon as the latch relay is reset for up direction, thencethrough contacts RB arms; car' button r'ele'ase relay and then through atimer T strewn in line-1 14 of Figure II. The timer? T ir niile'diat'ely' upon beingenergizedclosesits contac ts in line 1-15 to complete asealing circuit around thewRB and- RL contacts 'as well as the H3contacts; When the timer is energized it opens its contacts T in line- 112 thereby breaking the circuit from lead L3 through a resistor 30(corresponding to the resistor 22) and thence through the timer contactsT, the car button release relay contacts RB to the car button magnets 31that are connected to the return lead L4. When the timer times out, thatis at the expiration of its preset time interval, it opens its contactsin line 115 and closes its contacts in line 112. Since this breaks thecircuit to the timer it then resets to its initial condition with thecontacts T in line 112 closed and the contacts in line 115 open. This ie-establishes current flow to the car button magnets so that car callsmay be registered after the expiration of the time interval.

The directional latch relay contacts RL in line 114 are included in thiscircuit to control the timer T so that the timer can operate only whenthe directional latch relay R1. is set for upward travel. By thisprovision the timer cannot operate at the upper terminal or after thecar reverses for downward travel.

In this arrangement, during down peak operation, the car button magnetsare held de-energized for a predetermined length of time after the carreverses for upward travel. This time is preferably equal to the normalunloading time so that the circuit will be ready to accept destinationcalls of passengers who enter as soon as the car is unloaded.

The two foregoing arrangements provide for de-energizing the car buttonmagnets in a period of time either while the car is at the terminal anduntil it departs or for a given length of time after it arrives at thelower terminal regardless of whether or not operating conditionsindicate that passengers have been left at upper terminals. Since theimproved circuit arrangement is designed to counteract the tendency ofsome passengers to register up calls as they leave a car as a favor fora friend left at an upper fioor there is no necessity to de-energize thecar buttons for this time interval in the event no passengers were left.The circuit in Figure III is slightly more complicated than the othersbut it provides for de-energizing the car buttons only in the event thatthe car bypassed signals on its trip downwardly to the lobby floor. Thecircuit in Figure III is similar to that in Figure II except for theadditional by-pass delay relay BPD shown in line 216 and thesubstitution of contacts BPD of the by-pass delay relay for the downpeak relay contacts H3 in line 214, corresponding to line 114 of FigureII. In the circuit of Figure III the by-pass relay contacts BP in line216 are open as long as the car is operating normally in answering hallcalls. When the by-pass switch in the car is actuated to by-pass callsthe by-pass relay is de-energized and contacts BP in line 216 closed soas to energize the relay BPD from lines L5 and L6. This relayimmediately seals itself in by way of its contacts BPD in line 217 whichare connected in series with normally closed timer contacts so as tocomplete a sealing circuit around the by-pass relay contacts. The relayBPD is therefore energized until the timer is energized thereby openingits contact T in line 216. Timer T shown in line 214 is energized assoon as latch relays are reset for upward travel and car button magnetrelease relay RB is energized. This circuit as shown in line 214 carriescurrent from lead L5 through contacts RL of the directional latch relaythat are closed when the relay is conditioned for upward travel, thencethrough contacts BPD of the by-pass delay relay that are closed as soonas the car has by-passed a call on its previous trip, thence through thecontacts RB of the car button release relay. The timer as soon as it isenergized closes its contacts T in line 215 thereby completing a sealingcircuit for the timer. The timer also opens its contacts in line 212 soas to deenergize the car button magnets. As soon as the timer times outit opens its contacts in line 215 to de-energize itself and therebyre-establish the current flow through the now closed car button releaserelay contact RB in line 212 so that the car buttons are again incondition to register car calls.

In this arrangement, anytime the car on its downward travel by-passesregistered hall calls, circuits are established so that for apredetermined time interval after the car reverses at the bottomterminal the car but-ton magnets are de-energized so that car callscannot be registered. This circuit thus provides the feature that thede-energization of the car button magnets for the predetermined timeinterval occurs only when that feature'is necessary to correct anythreatened misuse of the elevator system.

Various modifications in the circuits may be made without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. In a control circuit for an elevator, in combination,

a car button assembly in the elevator car for registering desinationcalls, electromagnetic means for holding registered desination calls,means for momentarily de-energizing the electromagnetic means when theelevator reverses at a terminal floor, and means effective duringperiods of heavy down traffic for holding the electromagnetic meanstie-energized during the unloading time interval at the bottom terminal.

2. In a control circuit for an elevator, in combination, a car buttonassembly in the elevator car for registering destination calls,electromagnetic means in the assembly for holding depressed buttons indepressed position, means for momentarily de-energizing theelectromagnetic means when the elevator reverses at a terminal floor,and means effective during periods of heavy down tralfic for holding theelectromagnetic mean de-energized during the unloading time interval atthe bottom terminal.

3. In a control circuit for an elevator, in combination, a car buttonassembly in the elevator car for registering destination calls,electromagnetic means for holding registered destination calls, meansfor momentarily de-energizing the electromagnetic means when theelevator reverses, and time delay means for delaying the re-energizationof the electromagnetic means when the car reverses at the lower terminalduring periods of heavy down trafiic.

4. In a control circuit for an elevator, in combination, a car buttonassembly in the elevator car for registering destination calls,electromagnetic means for holding depressed buttons in depressedposition, means for momentarily de-energizing the electromagnetic meanswhen the elevator reverses, and time delay means for delaying there-energization of the electromagnetic means when the car reverses atthe lower terminal during periods of heavy down trafiic.

5. In a control circuit for an elevator, in combination, a car buttonassembly in the elevator car for registering destination calls,electromagnetic means for holding registered destination calls, meansfor energizing the electromagnetic means while the elevator is in use, atrafiic program selector having contacts, means for momentarilyde-energizing the electromagnetic means when the elevator reverses at aterminal floor, and means controlled at least in part by the programselector for increasing the time duration of the de-energization of theelectromagnetic means when the elevator reverses at the lower terminal.

6. In a control circuit for an elevator, in combination, a car buttonassembly in the elevator car, electromagnetic means for holdingdepressed buttons in depressed position. means for energizing theelectromagnetic means while the elevator is in use, a trafiic programselector having contacts, means for momentarily de-energizing theelectromagnetic means when the elevator reverses at a terminal floor,and means controlled at least in part by the program selector forincreasing the time duration of the deenergization of theelectromagnetic means when the elevator reverses at the lower terminal.

7. In a control circuit for an elevator, in combination, a car buttonassembly in the elevator car for registering destination calls,electromagnetic means for holding registered destination calls, trafiicprogram responsive means that are conditioned according to expectedpassenger deman'ds; means for momentarilyde-energizingthe electromagnetswhen the elevatorcar reverses, means responsive a car button assemblyinthe elevator car for registering destination calls, electromagneticmeans for holding actuated buttons indepressed position, rne'an's formomentarily de-energizing the electromagnetic means" when theelevator'r'everses, program responsive means that are conditioned'according to expectedpassengendemands, a-timer' andv means controlled bythe program'-respon'sivemeans and the timer for delaying there-energization of the electromagneticimeans following areversalat thelower terminal. during periods of heavy down traffic.

9. In a control circuit for an-elevator; in combination, a car buttonassembly in the elevator for registering destination calls,electromagnetic means for holding actuated buttons in depressedposition, mean for momentarily de-energizing the electromagnetic meanswhen the elevator reverses, control means actuated when the elevator isconditioned to bypass hall calls, and means responsive to an operationof the by-pass controlled means prior to arrival of the elevator at thelower terminal for delaying. the re-energization' of the electromagnetfor a prede termined period of time.

No references cited.

